Stitches
by Ricky the King
Summary: It's been a year since the Kishin was defeated, but after another risky mission with Stein, Spirit starts to see his former meister in a new light.
1. Prologue

**Prologue**

In the bedroom of the patch-stitch house, light from a computer screen flickered on. The digital clock on the nightstand read _12:30 AM_ in clear red lettering, but the young boy who had turned on the laptop couldn't care less. Nighttime was the best time for working. He'd established that fact long ago.

Forcing the sleep from his blue-green eyes, his fingers moved swiftly and effortlessly across the keys, searching for answers and getting very little, if anything at all. He tsk'd in annoyance. Why weren't there any records online from what happened all those years ago? Why wasn't anything written down?

 _Perhaps it was written down,_ the boy thought, putting one hand on the top of the laptop. _Just not here. But I'll find it. I have to._

Just as he was preparing to shut the laptop, the familiar shine of light against glasses gave the boy pause, just a moment's hesitation, but it was enough. He knew he was no longer alone. _Well, shit._

"Hello, Mama," the boy greeted softly, sheepishly. He fully closed the laptop and shoved it back under his pillow, plunging the room into darkness for a moment, before his mother reached over to turn on the lamp light on the desk. "What're you doing up?"

Yellow-green eyes narrowed in his son's direction. "Augustus, you should've been in bed an hour ago."

"I am in bed." The boy rocked back and forth a bit on the bed.

"You know what I mean."

August averted his eyes from his mother's gaze. "Well I... I was just doing some research. That's all."

"About what?"

"About... what happened before Aurora was born. Before us. Right after the kishin died."

His mother's hand twitched, the left one, like always when he got surprised. "How do you know about that?"

"Big sis Maka told me about it." August rocked back and forth on the bed again, putting his hands in his lap and staring at his mother intently now. "She told me, not long after that, you and Papa went on a mission. You almost died, but Papa saved you. Is that true?"

A slight glint of the eye showed irritation in his mother's face, but nothing else. "Yes, that's true. So what do you want to know?"

"I... want to know what happened. Why Aurora and I are here." August's stare grew more intense. "Why are you and Papa together? And how did it happen?"

 _I really need a cigarette_ , Stein thought as his fingers itched to draw one from his shirt pocket.

"That's not something I can tell you all in one night," he said candidly. "But I suppose you're old enough to hear it now. I guess I'll just start tonight."

The silver-haired meister took a breath, as if inhaling smoke from a cigarette, then exhaled.

"It was about a year after the Kishin died, I think..."

* * *

this is going to be the second mini-series within the "Before the Beginning" series, with the main focus on spiritxstein. enjoy!  
cross-posted to ao3 and dA


	2. Chapter 1

WARNING for mentions of period trouble

 **Chapter One**

Thinking back on it now, it was very probable that the whole thing had started with _that_ day.

All Stein had wanted was to be left alone in his lab whilst he suffered through this ordeal. Was that so much to ask for? What he really wanted was to get very drunk and try to sleep off the pain, but then he'd only wake up with a nasty hangover, and he didn't really feel like dealing with that on top of cramps.

So curled up on his couch he stayed, wrapping his arms around his stomach and groaning softly as he tried to fight back the pain. Understandably, Stein hadn't been expecting any visitors.

Needless to say, when one showed up at his door, he was less than pleased.

There was a knock at the door. Stein stayed firmly in his bed, hoping that if he didn't make any noise, whoever it was would go away.

"Uh... Stein?"

Great. No such luck. And on top of that, it appeared that his visitor was someone he really did _not_ want to see at the moment. Someone he really did not want to see him like this.

 _Spirit._

He heard the door open, and Stein reacted by curling into a tighter ball and groaning. _Great._

"Hey, Stein, you in here? You didn't come into class today so Lord Death told me to check on you..." Spirit's voice trailed off when he noticed the man curled up on the couch. "Are... you alright?" His voice was hesitant.

"Go away," Stein muttered.

"Are you hurt or something? I've never seen you like this." Spirit's voice held just a tinge of worry. Blue eyes wandered towards the end of the couch, where an assortment of bloody garments had been balled up together. "You're bleeding!"

"I'm fine, now go away," Stein grumbled again, removing his face from his pillow and staring in Spirit's direction.

"You're not fine!" Spirit exclaimed. "You're bleeding from _somewhere_ , where are you bleeding from, what's going on?"

"I said, go _away_!" Stein said one last time, grabbing the nearest object to him and hurling it in Spirit's direction. Spirit, momentarily distracted by the sudden change in mood, didn't have time to move out of the way. Luckily enough for him, the nearest object just so happened to be a pillow, so he wasn't hurt when it hit his face.

Frustrated, Stein curled his hands into his lap. "Can't a guy have some privacy on his period or is that too much to ask?"

A long silence stretched between them.

"Your what?" Spirit finally asked, holding the pillow that had been thrown at him at his chest. "You – you're kidding, right?"

"Come on, Spirit, you've had a wife and a daughter," Stein muttered. "I thought you had it figured out when you walked in."

"Well obviously I didn't!" Spirit dropped the pillow in favor of covering his face with his hands. "Oh my _God_ , how did I – I never knew! And we were _partners_!"

Stein turned his face away from Spirit. This was exactly why he hadn't wanted anyone to be here. "You didn't know because I didn't want you to know. I didn't want _anyone_ to know." With some difficulty, he pushed himself up on the couch and crossed his legs very deliberately. "So don't tell anyone." His voice dropped and went dark, and Spirit's attention was suddenly on him again.

"I wouldn't tell anyone," Spirit said, and for a moment Stein almost believed him. "I mean – you just – you don't _look_ like..."

"Yes, I pass well, you're not the first one to say that," Stein deadpanned. "Now would you do me a favor and leave me alone? I'm perfectly capable of taking care of myself."

"Well..." Spirit's fingers laced together. "What should I tell Lord Death?"

"Just tell him I'm sick or something, I don't care," Stein replied, waving him off. "Now, for the last time, go _away_."

For the first time in a long time, Stein felt strangely and utterly alone when Spirit left him there.

* * *

yeah stein is trans in this fic because i do not enjoy inexplicable mpreg


	3. Chapter 2

"So you're saying you want us to go after this thing, whatever it is?"

Spirit studied Stein's face as he looked up at Lord Death. His brow furrowed as he thought, as Spirit was really no good at keeping his emotions off of his face.

 _I should've known. How did I_ _ **not**_ _know? It should've been so obvious! How was it not obvious? And why didn't he want me to know?_

"Spirit, do you understand?"

Lord Death's voice snapped Spirit out of his thoughts momentarily, and he looked up at the death god and gave a half-smile. "Yeah, I got it." _Another corrupted soul, another dangerous mission. Something big, too big for a regular meister and weapon. Should be pretty easy. We just have to bring the soul back for study instead of eating it._

They were dismissed after that, and Spirit watched Stein out of the corner of his eye as the man strode confidently after him, no trace of pain in his step. Though, it had been a week, so it was probably over by now.

Spirit's wandering eye hadn't gone unnoticed. Stein raised an eyebrow, and Spirit tried to look away quickly, but to no avail. Stein had always been privy to Spirit's moments of weakness.

"You should really stop doing that," Stein said when they were out of the Death Room.

"Doing what?" Spirit asked, as innocently as he could muster.

Stein narrowed his eyes. "Looking at me like I'm different. I'm still the same man you've always known." He put extra emphasis on the word "man," and for once Spirit didn't miss it.

"But – you're _not_ the same," Spirit said in a hushed tone. "I mean – you don't have – like guys do –"

"Neither does Lord Death, and you still see him as a man," Stein pointed out, and Spirit stiffened.

"That's – that's different, though!" He exclaimed, before suddenly realizing where they were and clasping his hands over his mouth, as they were now roaming the hallways of the academy, making their way towards the entrance. "I mean –"

"I don't want to talk about it," Stein interrupted quickly, pushing the doors open and making his way down the steps. "So just keep your mouth shut about it, okay?"

Spirit deflated noticeably, but nodded anyway. "Yeah, right. I'll do that."

* * *

An hour later, and Spirit's mind kept wandering. They could walk to their destination, outside of Death City, and though Spirit would've much rather taken a car, Stein insisted on walking, and he didn't have the energy to fight with him when he would have to save it for later, anyway. They had made it all the way to the canyon where Lord Death told them they should start looking when Spirit's mind finally came back to him.

He almost didn't notice the giant black claw until it was too late.

"Stein!" Spirit called out, and the silver-haired meister looked up, then moved just a fraction of an inch to the right, as the claw ripped through the sleeve of his shirt but thankfully nothing else. Stein jumped back after that, closer to Spirit, and held out his hand. He didn't need to say a word.

Facing the monster, Spirit quickly shifted into weapon form, and Stein gripped his handle.

 _Good,_ Spirit thought as the monster took a step closer, its huge claws glistening in the sunlight. _Maybe this will finally get my mind off of everything else. Just focus in on the fight._

Little did he know, this fight would change their lives.


	4. Chapter 3

**Chapter Three**

The monster gave a terrifying roar, but Stein wasn't scared as he faced it, gripping Spirit's handle tight. Yellow-green eyes narrowed with determination as the monster took another step forward.

It wasn't like any kishin-egg soul they had ever faced before. This looked much more like an animal than anything else, only it was grotesque and strange, a chimera of sorts.

"Looks like something you might cook up in your lab," Spirit chided, obviously trying to lighten the dark mood a bit.

"I'm not interested in putting things together," Stein replied simply, adjusting his stance, then propelling himself forward. "I'm only interested in taking them _apart_."

On the last word, he slashed at the creature, a deep gash appearing in its shoulder as it roared, no doubt in pain. Its lion-like face focused on Stein, and it raised its claws, obviously intending to bring them crashing down on the meister's head. Stein lifted Spirit to block it, and the huge black claws curled around the scythe.

Stein dug his heels into the ground as the creature pushed hard against Spirit. He pushed right back, gritting his teeth and baring them in a feral snarl.

 _Something's off,_ Spirit thought as Stein's feet made visible grooves in the dirt. _He's not really showing all that he can do with me. Why?_

Suddenly, something gave, and Spirit yelped in pain as one of the creature's claws swiped across his surface, causing a few minor scratches to appear on his bare chest. The momentum of the creature winning the pushing battle forced Stein back, and Spirit registered his fingers loosening as he dropped him.

"Stein!" Spirit called, looking up and over his shoulder, though he wasn't able to see much. It looked, for a moment, as though Stein had been pushed out of his field of vision.

And then, a terrified cry split the air.

" _Spirit!_ "

At that, Spirit shifted out of his weapon form, dangerous as it may have been, because the terrified note in Stein's voice frightened him so badly as well. Stein was not scared, or terrified, or frightened, because it was his job to scare, terrify, and frighten others. Horrified, Spirit twisted his body away from the creature to see Stein, clinging to the edge of the canyon for dear life.

"Spirit – _help me_!" Now the terror was almost palpable, and Spirit only just remembered the monster as its clawed paw nearly came down on top of him. He managed to roll out of the way, then scrambled to his feet, running faster than he could remember towards his fallen meister.

Stein's feet scrabbled at the edge of the cliff, a few rocks tumbling loose and falling into the canyon below. His eyes were wide behind his cracked glasses, reflecting fear. It wasn't often that he came so close to death, and usually when he did, he was fighting an enemy, and knew there was a chance to live if he planned carefully.

But if he fell here and now, he would get no second chance.

Spirit skidded to a stop in front of him, leaning down to grab Stein's hands. They gripped his desperately, and Spirit heaved upwards without having to be prompted, keeping their hands firmly linked. That was, until he let go of one of Stein's hands to grab the back of his coat to more easily pull him up. For a moment, their eyes connected, yellow-green meeting blue, and a shudder passed down Spirit's spine.

Stein's legs still trembled even as he regained his balance, stepping away from the cliff and closer towards the monster. His face returned to its previous expression, no trace of the fear left in his face from just a few seconds ago. Spirit took that as a cue to shift back into weapon form, but he could sense the tremble in Stein's hands as he gripped him again.

This time, there would be no messing around. When the creature lunged for them, Stein lifted the scythe up high, then brought it down squarely on the creature's neck.

A gurgling sound came from the creature before its head was lobbed off, a splash of bright red blood coloring the side of Stein's face and his coat. Even so, he didn't bother to move, instead letting Spirit's blade fall down next to him, effectively holding him upside down. After a few moments, the creature's inert body faded into black strips, leaving a strange, purple-orange, pulsating soul in its place.

When Stein finally let go of Spirit, he shifted immediately back to his human form, sitting on the ground for a moment as Stein stepped up towards the soul, reaching out to put it inside of the glass jar he'd produced from his coat.

"We got it," Spirit sighed, letting his shoulders drop as the tension finally left his body. "Stein, are you –"

"I'm fine," Stein cut him off. "Just a moment of hesitation, that's all."

Spirit decided not to press the issue, and stood up, putting one hand on Stein's shoulder. "Alright. Let's get home, alright?"

They did not speak again.


	5. Chapter 4

Things were tense for a week after that. To Spirit, it felt as though Stein was avoiding him, not even bothering to make conversation in the hallway or bother him after class was over. The man seemed oddly preoccupied with his own thoughts, and if there was anyone who knew how dangerous it would be to let Stein sit in his own mind, it was Spirit.

So the weapon marched his way down to the patchwork house to talk to Stein. If the other man wouldn't come and talk to him, then Spirit would have to do it himself.

However, most of his resolve dissolved when he stood in front of the door, fist raised in preparation to knock, but something inside of him holding it back. Spirit could feel his hand shaking. Was he still afraid of the meister, even after all this time?

 _No_ , Spirit thought, jaw tightening. _I'm not afraid. Not of him, at least._

He finally knocked on the door.

For a few moments, there was no sound. Spirit almost let himself think that he might have gotten himself off the hook, until he heard a chair creak and then footsteps making their way to the door. The door swung open, and all too soon Spirit was face to face with Stein again for the first time in a week.

"Uh – hey there," Spirit finally stammered after they'd stared at each other for a good thirty seconds.

"Well, don't just stand there like an idiot," Stein said bluntly, shifting as if to let Spirit inside. "Come in and tell me what you need to say."

 _Damn. He's always been able to read me too well,_ Spirit thought as he walked in stiffly through the door. Stein shut it behind him, and then rooted himself to his chair, which had been spun out to the middle of the living room. Spirit sat down on the couch, feeling as though a sudden, crushing force had just been applied to his soul.

"Why have you been avoiding me?" Spirit finally blurted out.

Stein tilted his head lazily towards him. "I'm not sure what you're talking about."

"Don't play dumb," Spirit snapped. "It's not like you to run away from things. If this is about what happened when I came to find you –"

"It's not about that," Stein said quickly, body suddenly alert. "And that's not something I want to talk about right now."

"See, that's what I'm talking about, this isn't something you normally do. We were partners for _years_ and you never worked up the strength or the courage to tell me?" There was something that sounded like hurt in Spirit's voice, but Stein ignored it.

"It's not a matter of courage," Stein muttered. "Or strength, for that matter. There's plenty of strong people out there just like me who never tell anyone about things like this." He motioned down the length of his body, and Spirit looked away for just a moment.

"So what is it, then? Is it trust? You couldn't trust me?"

"You're not exactly the best at keeping your mouth shut, Spirit. You were even worse when we were kids, and I couldn't have you running around the school blabbering about it to everyone," Stein said through gritted teeth. "So please, excuse me for not wanting you to know about something nobody needed to know."

Spirit was quiet for a moment. Whether it was from shock or anger, Stein didn't know, and didn't want to ask to find out.

"So then why not tell me when we were grown up, then?"

"I didn't think it was that important, or that it was something you needed to know."

Stein drew a cigarette from his pocket, and a match to light it with. Before he could light it, though, Spirit spoke again.

"Shouldn't friends be able to share that kind of stuff with each other?"

Stein stiffened. "I wasn't aware you saw us as friends."

Spirit actually laughed at that. "Are you kidding? Why else would I still hang around if I didn't think we were friends? Why else would I have pulled you up from that cliff if I didn't care about you like that?"

"A sense of moral obligation," Stein answered, still leaving the cigarette unlit. "You feel like you have to keep me in check, isn't that right?"

"Maybe at first," Spirit said honestly. "But there's more to it than that."

Both of them stood at the same time.

"Is there, really?" Stein asked, his voice holding its usual antagonistic flair. But then, that was just who he was. He was the type of man to push and push until something gave in.

Spirit took a step closer. "Yeah, there is. I care about you as a friend, Stein."

Stein took the next step. "Is that all?"

They were so close now, Spirit could smell the tobacco from Stein's last cigarette on his breath. "Do you want it to be?"

They weren't sure who leaned in first, looking back on it, but then they were kissing and it didn't really matter.


	6. Chapter 5

When what was left of Spirit's mind finally came back to him, he figured he would pull away, but for some reason he didn't. Stein didn't kiss soft and easy like a girl, instead he was hard and unforgiving and his teeth scraped against Spirit's lip, so that when he finally pulled back to breathe Spirit could still feel Stein's mouth against his own.

Spirit's eyes fluttered open a few moments after Stein pulled away to find the meister staring at him evenly. At first glance, there was no trace of anything on Stein's face, but on closer inspection Spirit could see something in his eyes. Stein looked away quickly.

"So what now?" Spirit finally asked quietly. He didn't feel at all like he expected to. Instead, he felt a lot like kissing him again, like asserting his dominance and pushing back harder this time. Something stirred deep inside of his chest.

Stein shrugged in response. The cigarette was between his first and second fingers now. He must've taken it out before they had kissed.

"Well, you could leave, if you want to," Stein said simply, shrugging his shoulders. "Or we could kiss again. It's up to you."

The something Spirit felt stirring earlier started up again. He leaned in towards Stein, pressing his forehead against his and stopping just short of putting his lips on his once more.

"Is _this_ why you've been so weird?" Spirit asked again, just as quietly as before. "Because you wanted this from me?"

Spirit felt a shudder run through Stein's body. "For a long time I thought it was just me being interested in you as a test subject," he admitted. "By the time I realized it was something else you were gone, and getting married, and having a child. Besides, I was sure that if you knew about – what you know now – you'd be disgusted with me."

"And you thought doing experiments on me in my sleep would be better?" Spirit laughed, tone teasing. He put a hand on Stein's shoulder.

"You'd be surprised. People tend to react violently to things they don't understand. I'm no exception." Stein's breath ghosted across Spirit's cheek.

Spirit felt his breath catch in his throat. He had never expected to be this close to Stein and not feel fear coursing through his veins. "Did you really think I'd be like that? I'm hurt." His voice was still teasing, but there was a note of truth under it.

"I didn't know what to think. I still don't know what to think," Stein answered candidly. "But I don't think we need to be thinking right now. So what do you want to do?"

Spirit paused for a moment, before leaning in further to kiss Stein again, and this time he wasn't going to be caught off guard. When Stein pressed against him, Spirit pushed back harder, lining their bodies up together and guiding Stein's hands towards his waist.

When they pulled back to breathe, Stein said in a rush, "Listen, Spirit, I haven't done anything like this in a long time."

"It's fine," Spirit said just as quickly. "I'll guide you through it, if you'll let me." He followed his statement with a series of quick kisses, his own hands sliding down and placing themselves firmly on Stein's back.

Stein didn't say anything in response to that, only leaned in to Spirit and exhaled softly against his lips. His hands squeezed gently at Spirit's waist.

Spirit's own hands clutched at the back of Stein's coat, and he sighed heavily, pushing his nose against the meister's.

"How about we get a little more comfortable?"

He didn't have to ask twice.


End file.
